One Hundred Ways to Say I Love You
by alacarton
Summary: 100 prompts. Royai.
1. 30 - One More Chapter

Riza had left the office over 2 hours after the rest of the team, and yet, he was still sat at his desk, pouring over paper after paper when she closed the door. He had been uncommunicable all afternoon, his mind wandering far away from the present, and pen furiously scribbling in the small pocket diary he kept. She would have been worried had it not been for the fierce scowl on his face; a scowl of concentration. That was something she had learnt many years ago, after interrupting as he flicked through the large report laid before him earlier in the day, receiving that same determined look.

" _One more chapter._ "

And it took her back. To the eager boy who had appeared at her home, satchel tucked under one arm, hair short and neat, with a smile a mile wide. To dark nights, sat together in the study of her childhood home, quietly reading side by side in the dim glow of the fireplace in the comfortable silence. To the dark rings under his eyes, constant yawning and midday naps that her father's tutelage pressured him into, and the same mile-wide smile she received on presenting him with a mug of hot chocolate for his efforts. To tip-toeing down the corridor to his room, seeing the light under the door and chastising him for being awake so late, receiving only a boyish grin and a book thrust under her nose of whatever he had been reading now.

 _One more chapter._

That image jarred so harshly with the arrogant, lazy, womanising Colonel that had become the stuff of gossip around the barracks, with the dumb glances and feigned ignorance. She knew he had never truly stopped being that lovable bookworm from her childhood, despite what Ishval and the military may have done to him. She knew he spent his still sleepless nights with a book in hand, about the stash of his favourites under his bed, and the stacks of notes tucked away in his night stand.

And so, when she was unable to sleep, and the nagging voice in her head had her return to the office that night, she was not surprised to find him still there, despite the dark that had now fallen, the small desk lamp gloomily lighting the office. Still desperately scouring the books, the titles piling book upon book at his side, completely lost in the pages in front of him.

 _The Medical Encyclopaedia, Edition 20._

 _Disorders of the Musculoskeletal System_

 _Healing the Body; Paraplegia and the Immobile Body_

 _Medical Alchemy: The Art of Healing_

Of course it made sense that he would have buried himself into this particularly talent right now. She watched him, completely unaware of her presence, before gently clearing her throat. He glanced up, blinking in confusion, before she spoke.

" Sir. It is 1am. Shouldn't you be at home? You are still recovering."

And his face melted into a subdued, sad version that familiar boyish grin, her insistence disappearing with it.

" One more chapter."

 _This is part of my 100 themes challenge, using the prompt list from p0ck3tf0x on Tumblr. Follow me on on Tumblr at ohsnapsnapsparkspark._


	2. 12 - Take My Jacket, It's Cold Outside

Riza Hawkeye prided herself in her exceptional work attendance record. She had yet to truly _ever_ miss a day, and she took immense satisfaction from it.

Except for today. Today, she felt like death warmed up, and was silently wishing she had stayed at home, curled up in bed with Hayate and a mug of tea. Her voice was quickly becoming a raspy whisper, and the painful thud in her head told her this was probably not going to be fixed with a simple tough love attitude. _Damnit_.

And to make matters even _better,_ it was pouring with rain. Rain that hadn't started until she was halfway to work, and realised she had forgotten her umbrella. She had been drenched, much to Breda and Havoc's amusement, and they had spent the morning making jibes on her behalf while she attempted to dry her jacket on the radiator. She was about ready to snap by the time Roy returned from his morning meeting, and he took one look at her face, before dismissing the other two from the office. She had barely stopped at the back of his desk when he spoke.

" Go home, Hawkeye."

The command came as a surprise to her. " No, sir." She hesitated, receiving an eyebrow raise as a response. " I am perfectly fine, and we are busy, so-"

" That's an order, Lieutenant." His tone was deadly serious, and she found herself despairing at the look on his face.

" Colonel, sir-"

" I'm not telling you again." He paused, before his tone softened ever so slightly. " You're no use to me ill. Go home and rest."

She stared at him in disbelief. Part of her wanted to roar in anger; the other, sicker part of her wanted to cry. _No use to me._ That was just the icing on the cake. He always knew how to get to her. She bit her tongue, gave a curt nod, and turned to the radiator, lifting her jacket only to have it snatched from her. _Oh, for fuck's s-_

" You can't wear that. It's soaked."

Her patience was out. " So what do you suggest I do, _sir,_ since I am being made to go home and rest and it is _winter_?" And that _damn_ little smirk of his appeared, playing across his lips, before he slipped his own jacket from his shoulders, dropping it onto her much slimmer frame.

" Take my jacket. It's cold outside."

Well, crap. That was the last thing she had been expecting. Her brain ran in overtime, looking for any excuse to combat that damned smug grin. " That's very kind of you, _sir_ , but I can't walk around with a Colonel's rank on my shoulder." The smirk failed to disappear, if anything, it had _grown._

" Then you should probably take this too." And with that, he dropped his long cloak from the back of his chair across her too. " Can't have you getting a telling off when you aren't well. Now really, you need to go home." And before she could reply, he had lifted his papers from the desk and made a beeline for the door, sauntering out of the office with a wave of his hand, her jacket over his shoulder " I don't expect to see you here tomorrow either!"

He was _infuriating._ No, that didn't even _begin_ to cover it. She stared after him, before cursing, and still seething, headed out of the office in defeat, shoving through the crowds in the hallway. She cursed him the entire walk home, swinging the door to her apartment open and greeting Hayate with a moody grumble, hanging the now sodden cloak on the peg by the door. " Can you believe it?" She addressed the dog, who sat obediently at the stern voice. " He made me come home. _No use to me._ He has some nerve, doesn't he?! Well, he will be sorry when he has no-one to sort that report for him, and he is behind in _all_ his work. Honestly, he is just-"

She caught sight of her reflection in the long mirror, and it halted her rant. God knows what had happened to her hair, she was pale, too pale, and the larger jacket dwarfed her frame, making her seem so small as it hung from her sides, the shoulders reaching halfway down her arms. Her finger traced the unfamiliar epaulettes gently, and _goddamn_ _it,_ it made her chuckle. She had been sent home by the very man she usually spent her days babysitting, and here she was, sniffling in her hallway, in his much too big jacket. Kicking off her boots with a huff, she let herself fall onto the sofa, kissing Hayate's head as he climbed up to join her, before burying her face against the fabric. The smell of sweet cologne, mixed with a lick of masculine soap and the sharp metallic of his ignition gloves washed over her. It was unmistakably _his_ , and tiny butterflies in her chest echoed her content sigh as she curled up, suddenly loathe to take it off. In amongst the pounding headache, the warmth of the jacket around her was comforting, and she supposed he did care after all, despite her earlier huff. _Damn him._ _He knew her far too well._

And it might've been cold outside, but she decided she didn't mind after all.

 _This is part of my 100 themes challenge, using the prompt list from p0ck3tf0x on Tumblr. Follow me on on Tumblr at ohsnapsnapsparkspark._


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